Shrouded by Darkness
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: The Supreme King has taken over, and during his reign of terror, Jaden mourns for the friends he had lost. But they're not all gone. Can they save Jaden from his own darkness, or will it be too late for light to seep through?
1. Prologue: Jaden:  Descent

**Author's Notes**

Here's the winner of the poll, as promised.

This is slightly AU, so I've taken the liberty of changing a few things. _Italics_ is First Person POV, each chapter alternating between Jaden and Syrus, while normal is Third Person POV. Underlined is a flashback, and **Bold and Underlined** is a card name.

Anyway, read and enjoy.

* * *

**Shrouded by Darkness**

The Supreme King has taken over, and during his reign of terror, Jaden mourns for the friends he had lost. But they're not all gone. Can they save Jaden from his own darkness, or will it be too late for light to seep through?

Judai Y. & Sho.M

Genre: Friendship/Angst

Rating: T

* * *

**Prologue – Jaden: Descent**

_I think it mostly began when I realised that all that had happened till that point was my fault. If I hadn't sent Yubel into space–no, if I hadn't been so weak as to always need protection, unable to protect myself, then maybe all of this could have been avoided._

_I had my friends, but they always seemed to get hurt because of me. Time and time again, enemies would reach out for them to hurt me, like when Titan had kidnapped Alexis to force me to duel him, when Sartorious, under the control of the Light of Destruction, had used Aster as a hostage to ensure both keys came into his hands...and how Jesse had failed to return from the alternate dimension with the rest of us, sacrificing his own safety to ensure we all made it back, despite the probability that he would remained trapped forever._

_And then realising that it was Yubel who had been behind the events that had transpired from the beginning of this year. The survival duels and their effects, Professor Stine, Professor Viper, then all that transpired in the desert with the three suns...so I returned. I had meant to return alone, but my friends had followed. I wouldn't admit it at the time, but I was thankful for their presence, though in the end, I was the one who caused them all to vanish..._

_By my own hand, I began my descent..._

He watched blankly as Syrus ran. But while his face showed no emotion, his heart screamed in protest. The words still rang loudly in his ears, drowning out the disordered panic of those who had followed the Mad King and witnessed his defeat.

And worse, the emotions that underlay them: anger, hatred, anguish, sadness, doubt...

'It's your fault!'

'No,' he gasped, falling to his knees, eyes staring blankly forward before he threw his head up to stare at the only slightly familiar stars.

Chazz, Hasslebarry, Atticus, Alexis, Jesse...they were all up there, among the stars bright and shedding light on a darkened world momentarily as the last remnants remained, before they too faded into the dreary blackness of the sky above.

'They were there, and you ignored them, instead looking for the one that wasn't. And now they're all gone! Because of you!'

'All I wanted was to make things right...' he whispered, eyes still fixated on the black stretch of sky above him. 'But I just made it worse. Everything, it's all my fault...I sent all my friends away...I _killed_ them!'

Those last words exploded from the boy in a heart wrenching scream even as his head dropped limply down to stare instead at the ground. At the dust swirling just above the murky surface, broken and fragmented while the veil hid it from view unless one chose to look for it.

He was beyond looking, his expression finally matching his heart as painful tears tricked down his skin, falling to the ground below him. More tears soon followed, and he found his vision drowning in them, though it was clear enough to see what had been blown to him with a particularly vicious gust of wind.

'**Super Polymerisation**,' he whispered, picking it up.

'I need the five runes for this...'

'My friends...'

'...to summon up the greatest duel monster's card ever created.'

'A card...he did this, all of this, for a card. For power...'

'I needed emotion, power, and it seems you are one of the few who can elicit such a response...so I really must thank you. Because it is thanks to you that I will be able to achieve this power.'

'Because we were always so close, and then I pushed them away...'

He shook lightly, watching as his vision drained away into white, uncaring as it washed away the dust of a war and darkness ridden world, washed away everything except the guilt and the blame which plagued his heart, and the hopelessness that clung to it.

And he clung to the blank card like a lifeline, all that remained of his friends.

For a moment, all he could see was that blank card, and his friends' bodies dissolving into it like wax melding into a candle. For a moment, all he could hear was the words they uttered to him before their treads of life were prematurely cut.

'We're not as important as Jesse, are we? It's because you want to find him that we're in this mess now. We followed you, we trusted you, and is this how you pay back someone's trust? By manhandling us like simple obstacles in your path, then leaving us for someone else's picking?'

'That's not true,' he whispered back, though the one who had uttered those words were long gone. Though the rest of his response died on his lips even as the next voice echoed.

'I never thought you would stoop this low. I thought you valued our friendship, but you turned us away, turning stranger into friend and friend into enemy. What sort of Sergeant abandons his army? We wanted to help, but you, _you_ thought you could just do what you want, forgetting about us. Are we that insignificant that you would sacrifice our lives like some outdated toy?

'No...I would never...'

'It hurts so much. I gave my heart to you, and you just cast it aside like it were nothing. Is he all that matters to you. Does our friendship mean so little that you could so easily cast those bonds aside as soon as someone new shows up. I feel for him. I really do, knowing it won't be long before you cast him aside for someone new.'

'I never meant...'

'You hurt us all Jaden. How could you take bonds so strong and just tear them apart! Do you know how much it hurts? I doubt you do, you've got other things that matter; we're no longer important to you.'

'I'm sorry,' he whispered, repeating the phrase over and over again like a mantra, being unable to say anything else. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry...'

Brown eyes soaked with emotion stared at the blank card he held. 'If only I could bring you all back,' he muttered dejectedly. 'I'd tell you all how sorry I am...if you ever spoke to me again.' He laughed bitterly. 'After all, you all died hating me...why would you? You're all right. This is all my fault. If only I could change it all...'

'The past is unalterable,' a new voice stated, though his tenor was distinctly similar to that of the Slifer Red's. 'It's path is carved by the flowing river of time, the currents pressing forward even when those held back with regret attempt to hold it back. Time is infallible, always the river pushes the past beyond one's reach.'

His eyes widened, surprised that someone remained, while all others had left. There was silence; even the illegible chaos of the fiends of the Dark World had faded awhile ago., leaving him alone, all alone...

'You are not alone,' the voice whispered, sounding nearer, before the owner of it stepped into his vision. He was male, that much was obvious, though Jaden could not make out any distinguishing features due to the water which still clouded his eyes.

'Who are you?' he whispered, feeling somehow repulsed and yet drawn to newcomer.

'Who am I?' he repeated, the stranger, if he could really be called that as he obviously knew the other, and the Slifer, despite the fact of never seeing him before, felt some bond of familiarity to him. 'Yes, that is a question, isn't it? People call me many things, but suffice to say I am a friend.'

'A...friend?'

He nodded. 'The past is unalterable,' he repeated. 'But the future's course is not. You can carve your own future through the soft earth before you, so long as you have the power, and the will to do so.'

The other listened; the voice so similar to his own being the only thing he could hear, thus his entire attention was focused on it. 'In this world, everything is based on power. With power, all things become possible; control, vengeance...it is even possible to reverse the workings of the world and turn back death.'

'I...can bring them back?'

He shrugged. 'I think you can. It's the working of this world, the way it's built. Power, your power, is the key to everything.'

'And...how do I get that?'

He nodded to the card the other held. 'That card.'

Jaden looked down. '**Super Polymerisation**?'

They were both aware of what had been left unsaid.

'It's the paradoxical nature of all life,' the other explained calmly. 'Good becomes evil, evil becomes good. Sometimes it is necessary to sink to the depths of the ocean to overcome it.'

'So you're saying...'

'Sometimes you have to become evil to truly defeat it. Accept it, and in time, you'll understand it all.'

There was silence for a while, as the Slifer listened to those words. He knew well the nature of the card, it required sacrifice for its power. The more potent the energy sacrificed to it, the stronger its summoning would be, and the greater power it would hold. It was evil; much blood had already been spilt on its account, and much more would be spilt. The end couldn't justify such means.

But then, why did he fight in the first place?

For his friends, but they were all gone, dead while cursing him to the last.

_I couldn't fight it. My power had always come from my friends, and with their loss, I was nothing. So I listened. I obeyed. I let myself drown in the ocean deep in order to finally rear my head above it._

_If I had known what laid ahead, I may never have accepted it. I may never have allowed myself to sink below the definition of goodness to finally triumph as it. But he was right; it did need to be done. And it was only later, far later, that I understood._

_After all, for all light, there is a darkness. And to reach the strongest light, you have to descent as far as your darkness takes you._

_I learnt that with my own descent..._


	2. Syrus: Abandonment

**Author's Notes**

How long has this been? Eep, that's almost two years. To be honest, I've only got one excuse. I totally lost the plot of GX and was putting off rewatching it in favour of Digimon. But that's not a good reason for leaving it this long. Hopefully, no-one else lost the plot.

I'll try and update this more regularly now. I want to finish this before University opens up again next year, and although that's a bit of a tall order with 17 planned chapters, we'll see how things go. Of course, exams are going to put a dent in that plan, and that scheduled oversees trip, but we'll see how things go.

This chapter was mostly from the one and a half episodes in the English dub. 136 and half of 137. But that's basically the skeletal structure and the ending.

Enjoy, and tell me what you think.

* * *

**Shrouded by Darkness**

The Supreme King has taken over, and during his reign of terror, Jaden mourns for the friends he had lost. But they're not all gone. Can they save Jaden from his own darkness, or will it be too late for light to seep through?

Judai Y. & Sho.M

Genre: Friendship/Angst

Rating: T

* * *

_It had been coming, no matter how I had tried to deny it to myself. But when I found myself lost and alone, save the mount that had carried me to a small rock pool where he could quench his thirst and be satisfied; I only wish I could do, could have done, the same. Water was a necessity, but in a barren landscape where finding it was rather difficult, it was, further that, a burden that needed to be fulfilled. Always, someone had been there, someone whose shadow encapsulated mine in both safety and compression. But now, I stood alone with the glaring light shining atop me. And like all seeds when they tasted the first photons of light, the seeds buried deep in me began to sprout._

Syrus stared at his feet, taking little comfort from the slurping noises the duck-like spirit (or rather, he presumed it was a spirit, having seen nothing like it before) made while quenching his thirst. He had taken a few handfuls himself, letting the cool liquid drip gently down his parched throat and stray crystal drops flick onto his face. The cold, unintentional splash had brought a brief relief from the heat, so he had scooped up another handful and used it to splash his face, droplets dripping down to his neck before seeping into the collar. It helped against the dryness and the outer heat of the desolate expanse fashioned mostly of dust and rock, but it did nothing to the burning embers nested within his heart.

The duck had no such issues. It simply drank to its heart's content, assuming the creature was alive enough to have a heart. He normally wouldn't have questioned the fact; the heart was one of the two organisms of survival after all, but their, or perhaps he should say his, experiences in the Dark World were changing that. It seemed pretty heartless to him how the fiends of the Dark World Army could tear apart homes and lives and people with no qualms whatsoever. Nor did there seem to be any regret when their bodies turned into particles of light and became a part of the cosmos.

Did life hold no value to them?

For a moment, the thought froze his own heart. But then he remembered Jaden. How he had pushed ahead in his desire to find and save Jesse from the alternate dimension. How he had recklessly jumped into a duel to the death which had then resulted in the army on their tails. How he had invaded the prison camp on his own and engaged Zure in battle, and how they had all gone to help, instead winding up as prisoners and almost star dust if Sir Freed hadn't intervened and rescued both them and the duel.

It was hard to say whether or not Jaden could have won the duel without him. Trapped in the snare that involved Power Bomb and Power Annihilator, it had taken Freed's special ability as a monster after fusing with the deck to stop the impending exploding. Elemental Hero Thunder Giant could have accomplished that he supposed, or perhaps Glow Neos' special effect, but with Neo Spacian Flare Scarab and Common Soul being the only two cards in his hand, it wasn't wholly impossible that he would not have been able to put together a winning combo. Despite his mantra: 'a duel's not over until the last card is played,' there was something…different, about the way Jaden was duelling. Rashly, aggressively…even the safety of his friends had been jeopardised, and he had barely turned to them once the fiends had fled in terror after their General's defeat.

Not to mention all the times he had run off on his own. At Duel Academy; they had barely caught him in time. Then upon awakening. They had been so worried, until Axel found him and brought him back with Bastion and Taniya in tow. Some light-hearted teasing had been shared in lieu of the science prodigy's departure. And then when Winged Kuriboh had found something, coming back after about an hour with a bunch of ducks and a map. He hadn't even then, he remembered with some degree of anger…and doubt. He wondered if he had even realised the delay in following him, or the disgruntlement amongst his cohorts. He doubted it; the other had raced off without a backward glance, not even hearing his terrified screams as his own ride pitched him further from the group. None of them had.

'They probably haven't even realised…'

So that left him right where he was, all alone save for a duck he couldn't even manage to ride properly. At least it had stayed with him. Of course, it was the one who had picked him up, chucked him onto its back, and carried him thus far. Not that it really mattered. Out in the dusty spread of barren land alone.

The green body finished its noisy slurping and looked at him. He looked past the other, to his reflection. Then he sighed.

He really still looked like a wimpy little kid. He really hoped he had grown in the past two and a half years. But not entirely, as he looked closer at his own image staring back at him, he thought he saw a little difference in the doubt that plagued him.

When he had first arrived at the Academy, he had been feeling pretty pathetic juxtaposed to Jaden's brimming overconfidence and boisterous personality. That had changed a little once he became a part of something greater, and once he had beaten Missy and advanced into Ra Yellow, he figured the days of doubt were over. But it seemed doomed to plague him. Always, the fear of being left alone followed him, so much so that when Jaden vanished without a trace, he resigned himself to sleepless nights and petty fights to convince himself that no, Jaden had not abandoned him, or anyone else, and yes, he would come back. He wondered at the time what had propelled that determination. Whether it had been the strong bond he shared…no. He shook his head. Thought he shared, because it seemed at that point that the bond wasn't as strong as he had once thought. But whether it was that, or whether because he wasn't ready to face up to the reality that he was losing, or had lost, his best friend.

Now, sitting alone except for a duck that was incapable of intelligent speech and perhaps even of thought, seeing as it responded similar to a horse or elephant in their own world, those doubts were starting to plague him again.

He didn't even notice the symbol beginning to glow on his right cheek.

That's not to say though that no-one else did. Two spirits, clad in gold and spirit, were staring at him from the higher ridge. Goldd, Wu-lord of Dark World, and Siliva, Warlock of Dark World, both prominent figures of the Dark World army...not that Syrus had that little bit of local knowledge. Nor did he realise the glint of armour from the light of the comet.

'They probably don't even notice I'm gone,' he sighed, putting his head in his hands and inadvertently covering the 'Gi' kanji on his face. 'I doubt they even miss me.'

Why would they, after all? Who would miss the side-kick? The pathetic little form tagging along like a shadow behind the prominent leading figure of the sun. The one who is always just a pawn, despite his best efforts to change that. His failures; the duel with his brother is way up there near the top. The thing only he could have done, and in the end, all that happened was enough shocks to the body to land him in the hospital wing for a week. If Zane had changed after that, it wasn't because of him. His head knew that.

He wasn't too sure of his heart.

It was at that moment that the pair of zombie creatures decided to announce their presence.

'It appears that _we_ missed you,' one said, but the shine of gold and silver was too intertwined for him to be able to differentiate the speaker from the currently silent observer.

Sonic duck looked up and squawked in what sounded like panic. That panic, a familiar sensation, was starting to seep into his body as well, and unknown to him, the red tinge that stained his white cheek was fading in lieu for the new fear sitting in him.

'We could take you to your friends,' the other offered.

He was one of those people who feared a lot of things. Darkness, height...and zombies carrying big swords and wearing mail. Deciding immediately from their appearance, and from previous encounters with the army, that the pair were untrustworthy, he immediately rejected the proposal.

'No thank you. I don't want any trouble.'

The shining faces immediately twisted into scowls.

'That wasn't a request.'

The duck and rider met halfway in the motion to mount.

The mark had faded completely as he clung to dear life...or tried to. Screams told the fruits of his labour; as long as he was still holding on, he was still screaming, and still alive to do so.

Sonic duck carried him through the well-worn road, before suddenly veering off course and into rocky and far more treacherous territory. A quick glance behind confirmed the two of gold and silver were still following, leaping high into the air and coming down on the cliffs that overhang the lower terrain.

He wasn't sure where the ride was carrying him, but having no prospect of a world that was not his home and no path except to follow that of another who had left him behind and not returned, it didn't really matter.

So it was to his utmost surprise when the duck suddenly dumped him into a small crevice and took off as if he had not done so, carrying...him?

'What in the world?' he wondered out loud, before a laughing animalistic growl answered him.

He jumped, about to scream again, but a dark hand covered his mouth. They saw two flashes pass them, then another scream and some cursing, then a small shot of light returned behind him.

He turned around, seeing Axel, putting away his duel disk and spell. **Copy Doll**. Jim was ahead of him, one hand patting Shirley while he half-grinned.

'Your screams led us right to you,' he commented, helping the younger boy up.

Syrus smiled, relieved. He didn't know the pair of transfer students all that well, but they had come back for him. 'I was hoping you would,' he said, rather sheepishly and not altogether truthfully. But it pained anyone to admit a serious weakness. 'That was my plan all along.'

'Sure it was,' the Australian replied in his usual accented tone, sounding amused and not all that believing. But he let it go. He saw well enough the other's fears, and knew everyone took comfort in shielding them from the outer prying eyes. 'Come now, we'd best get back to Jaden.'

His face fell.

'What is it?'

Syrus turned a little, the red markings beginning to reappear on his right cheek. 'It's Jaden Jim,' he responded quietly, revealing only the bare traces of his doubt. 'He said he'd do anything to find Jesse, no matter what it takes. I'm afraid he's going to stop at nothing to find him.' He left the rest unspoken, but saw the two trade glances.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one concerned.

But they all went back anyway. As Atticus had said, Jaden was yet to fail them. But walking slowly back to the fortress, or at least far enough so they wouldn't be caught out in the act, he wondered if that time had finally come.

The comet still burned above them.

* * *

The fortress was clouded in bloodlust. The crowd was screaming for it. They were booing the opponent, and the feeble defence he had been able to summon in a single main phase. They were booing the short termed relief that had appeared on the faces of the three prisoners chained to the upper platform.

The company of three, or four if Shirley was included, paused just out of sight in the archway.

'Careful,' Axel whispered, holding out a hand to stop the next, reflexive step. 'Or we'll end up in chains like them.'

Syrus looked beyond the shadows, seeing the Mad King Brron activating his traps. The play didn't make much sense to the newcomers, but it apparently horrified the four who had already witnessed the consequence. He didn't hear Jaden shouting for his monsters to stop over the sudden surge of roaring from the crowd and the cackling from the Mad King. Perhaps if he had, it might had stemmed the doubt, knowing that the other had never intended for that to happen.

But then again, it was the reckless duel that had brought about the snare to begin with.

The silence suddenly descended, shouting up the final abominated curse of friendship to the heavens. The three doctrine released themselves from the bodies of their hosts: hatred, anguish and sadness.

'I never thought you would stoop this low!' Hasslebarry shouted. 'It's because you want to find him that we're in this mess now.'

Not even a blind man could miss seeing the build-up of rage, that angry fire that engulfed him.

''I never thought you would stoop this low. I thought you valued our friendship, but you turned us away, turning stranger into friend and friend into enemy. What sort of Sergeant abandons his army? We wanted to help, but you, you thought you could just do what you want, forgetting about us. Are we that insignificant that you would sacrifice our lives like some outdated toy?'

'No!' Jaden cried back, brown eyes widening in shock and horror and becoming grief. His voice sounding for once weak juxtaposed with the raging emotion. 'That's not it! I-'

Atticus let out a strangled scream, raising his hand where the rune burnt into his skin with searing ferocity. ''You hurt us all Jaden,,' he cried, the agony screaming in his voice. 'How could you take bonds so strong and just tear them apart! Do you know how much it hurts? I doubt you do, you've got other things that matter; we're no longer important to you.'

'No, Atticus! I-'

Alexis' soft voice broke him off. 'It hurts so much,' she said quietly, sadly, and somehow that hurt more than the screaming rage. 'I gave my heart to you, and you just cast it aside like it were nothing. Is he all that matters to you. Does our friendship mean so little that you could so easily cast those bonds aside as soon as someone new shows up? I feel for him. I really do, knowing it won't be long before you cast him aside for someone new.'

'That's not it Alexis!' Jaden cried desperately, but his words were swallowed up by the now cheering crowd.

The three runes glowed. Anguish on the shoulder blade, sadness on the upper arm and anguish on the hand. Then all three flew off to be absorbed into the doctrine, and the skin particles began to turn into particles of light.

Three eyes closed, one by one as the rune left, taking with it the amassing of power that had overwhelmed them entirely. At that moment, they realised where lack of control had taken them, the brown eyes darkened in pain and grief, and above all belief, and looking past to where the fiends were mercifully blind, three more pairs of eyes, each one carrying varying levels of doubt. Most so the one in the front. The one who had managed to, by some twist of fate, avoid a pedestal by their side.

Their form crumbled into the yellow photons of light, before that spectral too faded away as the sky sucked it up.

Jaden fell to his knees, eyes staring sightlessly. 'No...' he gasped, horrified. 'My friends...it's my fault.'

They all heard that. And for them, where explanation was still needed to finish the gaps of their knowledge, that was the final piece of evidence that confirmed the extent to which he would carry out that statement.

'You...you've done this?' Syrus uttered in barely a whisper, horrified. He could scarcely believe it, but his mind drove him back to the silence in which he had sat. _Jaden_ had been the one to lead them. He was the one who hadn't come back when they had fallen behind or astray. He was the one who had duelled and put their lives in danger. He was the one who had played the monster that had led them to their deaths.

It was so easy to forget the rest. Forget **Dark Tournament** which had forced his monsters into attack mode and to attack. Forget **Darkness Half** which had granted two more monsters, so all three could be felled in a decisive blow. It was so easy to forget the **Wicked Doctrine** hovering above the Mad King's head, sucking the life and power of emotion from his friends.

He didn't even hear the explanation. The power of emotion. The absence of the fifth rune. The covering of the new card: **Super Polymerisation**.

He did notice though the rage that enveloped the young duellist from the absence of his friends. He noticed the bloodlust that was growing exponentially in him as the crowd continued to rile themselves up. He saw the bashful way he attacked and attacked, driving the other into the ground until at last he fell, defeated. He saw the ruthlessness that had driven the torture that eventually broke its surface at the unintentional end. Because he knew that the other had not known the adverse effect of **Gateway to Dark World**. That much was obvious by the anger, the insistent calling, goading, to bring about another round of fighting that would leave the monster in the dust.

Nonetheless, the Mad King fell, cackling madly at his victory even in the face of the final defeat. Because he had won more than the other, who yelled at him for the final prize only to receive another blow.

'He's up there,' the zombie gestured, pointing towards the sky as his own body began to dissolve into light. 'Just like everyone else. Their blood has stained these execution grounds, and your hands and heart. All you have now is anger, and sadness, and grief.'

And laughing, the last of his life cut its ties from the very grounds he had carried out the executions he claimed.

Jaden sank to his knees, the adrenaline fed by the bloodthirsty desire for revenge abandoning him, leaving him only worn, exhausted, and grieved. His body trembled, but the chains still bound him tight as he finally noticed the shadows of his friends that remained from behind the archway as they came out to him.

Jim, Axel...Syrus.

'Syrus,' he repeated out loud. Syrus. The one who had managed to escape that sad and undeserving fate. A sudden sense of relief flowed through him. Syrus was still there. 'Oh man, I'm so glad that you're okay.'

The sincerity in his voice was heavy; it was one of the first times he realised, that there was such a large turning of the spike. Most of him was still struggling from the surge of overwhelming anger and blood; he had wanted that guy to pay for what he did to his friends, but that wasn't enough.

Nor would it ever be enough, Syrus thought, eyes hardening at the image of his friends turning into particles of light. 'Are you sure?' he said rather coldly, doubt beginning to rise in him, unbidden, uncontrolled. 'Because I don't think you care at all.'

That emotion, growing, churning within him, gave him strength. He ignored everything else, things that would occur to him at a later stage. Things that he should have remembered. Things that perhaps would have spared them the pain and suffering that was to come.

'You just sacrificed them,' he continued. 'And for what? Jesse's gone. So are they.' The grey eyes met brown, both clouded in a multitude of emotions. Enough so that the eyes, despite staring at each other, failed to meet. 'I never thought you'd treat your friends this way. You…who's been the sun guiding them. But I guess it's true. Those who get too close to the sun get burnt.'

With those words, he turned away, sullen, angry and defeated.

'Sy…' Jaden began, tone crumbling at the final, decisive blow.

'Don't call me that,' the other said, before turning and running, the beginnings of tears pricking his eyelashes.

* * *

He walked a long way before he stopped by a dug out cave. The anger and rage that had built up, the red hotness that had risen every time he thought about that fateful scene, had started to dim away from the influence. But the cause still remained. The stubborn block still remained. It occurred to him almost wryly that he hadn't been this bothered by his brother's sudden change of attitude…so then why did it matter so much that it was his best friend?

It didn't he decided, looking at the duel disk clipped to his arm. It didn't matter at all.

'I thought I knew you Jaden. I really did.'

Hah, what a joke. He knew nothing it seemed. Because the Jaden he knew, the one who had always been there by his friends, cheering them on, was nothing like the one who had stepped through the barrier between the dimensions.

'Guess it goes to show that the only person who you can truly rely on…is you.'

He slumped down on the spot, leaning against the hard rock as it supported him. The bitter truth suddenly realized, like an epiphany. He really couldn't rely on anyone else. They were gone. There was only him.

A soft screaming interfered with that thought, and instinct drew him to the edge of the river, the source of the screams, and Ojama Yellow bobbing like a corkscrew.

In a way, the spirit was just like him.

He couldn't swim. He could have just left him, but he couldn't bring himself to. No matter how he felt. No matter how he wanted to be left alone. He didn't want a tagalong. Another person to be relied upon and betrayed, or the one who does the betraying.

So he helped the spirit out. They shared a brief conversation, but the spirit was so joyous for company that he wouldn't let go.

Syrus was determined though.

'Maybe we should meet up with Jaden-'

'No,' he said firmly.

The spirit blinked innocently. 'Why not?' There was a slight pause, then…'we'll make a great team.'

'No,' he repeated, closing his eyes firmly, before standing up.

He couldn't do this. Jaden was one of the people he had unconditionally trusted, someone he felt he bonded with far stronger than even his own flesh and blood. And that sort of betrayal was…unforgivable. If someone like that, the sun in his life, could turn into lava that spewed over the earth and turned it into a barren land covered in ash, then the only person who could plant a green seed in that land was he himself. Alone.

For too long, he'd walked the path the sun shone on. There was no sun now. Only the comet, and the river. He needed to find his own path. There was no other for him to follow. He could stay; the possibility did occur to him, but his head was driving him away. Away from the river winding back up the path he had taken down. Away from the comet whose tail pointed towards the fortress he had run away from. Away from the friend who had abandoned him, and who he had abandoned.

No, not a friend. Not anymore.

'Syrus?'

'Go wherever you want Ojama,' he said. 'Just make sure I'm not there.'

Because one of two things would happen. There would be either betrayal or loss. That seemed to be all this world was capable of.

But maybe it wasn't just this world. Maybe it was the harsh reality.

The duel disk felt heavy on his arm. Too heavy, laden with both the weight of cards and memories.

'C'mon Sy. You can't full me with that tough guy act.'

He froze, but only the rushing river spoke. But the second he took a next step, the voice of his past spoke back.

'Friends don't give up on friends, no matter how bad things get.'

He gritted his teeth. Would Jaden forever haunt him?

The top card jotted out slightly. **Power Bond**. A card that had journeyed so far with him. And every time he had used it, it had been with Jaden's help. And every time…

'Don't even think about throwing in the towel, but a duel's not over until the last card is played. You cant give up!'

'I'm not the one who gave up!' he shouted to the sky, feet having carried him far from the spirit that still hovered on the rock, presumably. 'You are Jaden!'

The hand rose in a fist as he threw it in the air, then froze as the deck and duel disk dragged it down.

That was it. Duelling reminded him too much of his friends. Of _Jaden_. He wasn't about to take on a Dark army. He wasn't going to get people killed because he rashly ran into fights. He didn't need the cards, or the duel disk. Not in a world where they only brought pain and grief and sorrow.

He slipped the disk off his arm and set it down on a rock. Immediately, a weight fell from his shoulders, but his heart steeled. Part of him wanted to take that back. But it was a turning point. He couldn't be undecided. Taking the deck would mean eternally waiting for his friend, his friends, to return. And his head told him that would never happen. He wasn't listening to his heart. It was still in shock he felt.

He swiped at the holder, watching it fall from sight, obscured from the world by the jutting cover. It was done then. The last remnant that tied him to his old self was gone.

He straightened his shoulders, before turning away from the comet and towards the forest.

He was going to continue the journey called life by himself. That was all there was. Everything else had abandoned him, or been abandoned. Long ago, the footholds chasing him had faded. His friends were gone. Jaden had abandoned him, and he had done so in return. His brother had, for even longer than that, been lost to him.

And now, the last traces of light too were vanishing, save what was just enough to make out the treacherous paths of roots and branches.

He took a deep, emptying breath, then made the first, decisive, step. No doubt was allowed into his mind. Not at that moment.

_And so, with the barest glance over my shoulder, I walked away, following a new path I had chosen, far from the rivers which told stories of life and the light which glimmered with hope and happiness. Because I had abandoned all that was left of my old self save the clothes on my back, vowing never to recall again, and taking up a new mask as I took my first steps into fashioning a new identity for myself._

_The first steps of the new and improved Syrus Truesdale. Or so I told myself._


End file.
